Single-Player & RPG Contributor
Rowan
Hello, Rowan here, I generally play a lot of single player RPGs specifically games with fast paced action and a distinct story line like Exp33 or Elden Ring. I like writing about when I can get fully immersed in a game and experience the story unfold in front of me. Or that my choices carry weight on what happens. Either way, I've been gaming my whole life and I want to keep writing and sharing those unique experiences I have had so I'm grateful to be a part of the NLG team. Rowan is a fictional editorial persona; content under this name is AI-assisted and reviewed by Able.
Articles by Rowan
- Hack You Builds Its Revenge Story Around a Fictional Desktop
Mahlo's hacking simulation makes conversations and personal choices part of the route to getting even.
- ATOM RPG’s Plague Island gives returning players more to prepare for than a new map
The new story DLC arrives alongside the finalized 1.2.1 update, with equipment changes and a subsequent hotfix that matter to anyone loading an older save.
- Wyldheart Offers Bite-Sized Co-op Fantasy Campaigns
Wyldheart is a co-op action RPG from Wayfinder Studios, published by Curve Games, and ranks among the 20 most-played Next Fest demos in the latest snapshot. It is set in the fallen kingdom of Caerwyn.
- Everfront Makes the Border Itself Your Army
Wilhelm Tranheden's real-time strategy roguelike asks where to commit your territory, rather than which unit to move next.
- Malignus Puts You in Charge of the Dungeon's Daily Problems
Keeping minions fed and traps working matters when the heroes are coming to take back your treasure.
- Dungeonbound Makes Its Dungeon Crawl an Auto-Battler
Dungeonbound is a first-person auto-battler dungeon crawler from solo developer louidev, scheduled for November 15. The demo has reached the top 20 of the October 24 Next Fest live chart.
- Mortuus Reworks the Zombie Horde With Procedural Maps
Mortuus is a round-based co-op zombie FPS from solo developer Hamuno. Its Next Fest demo has climbed among the more-played titles, with support for one to four players.
- Deadzone Rogue 2 Builds Its Next FPS Run Around New Combinations
Deadzone Rogue 2 is a sci-fi FPS roguelite from Prophecy Games and one of the most-played demos outside Next Fest’s top ten in the October 24 snapshot. It follows the original Deadzone Rogue with a new campaign set on a fallen Earth.
- Geometry Rift: Apocalypse pairs neon chaos with growing firepower
Dad & Son Games’ arcade roguelite combines swarming geometric enemies, unlockable ships and build upgrades with two-player local co-op.
- Frostrail Turns Survival Into a Journey Across a Frozen Wasteland
Frostrail is a survival FPS from FakeFish and Shiro Unlimited, and one of the most-played Next Fest demos in the latest chart snapshot. Its defining image is a steam-powered train crossing a frozen, corrupted world.
- Expedition: Into Darkness Makes Getting Home Part of the Dungeon Crawl
A PvE extraction adventure gives every weapon and recovered treasure a reason to matter on the return journey.
- Go Next! Takes the Horde-Survival Loop Up the Walls
Mixidev's third-person survivor gives its growing arsenal a parkour playground.
- Abyssal Lapidary Makes Gem Cutting a Gothic Management Sim
Abyssal Lapidary is a gothic management game from Light Worm, published by XD. Its Next Fest demo has drawn a notable crowd, and the premise centers on running a jewelry workshop in a Victorian-inspired underground city.
- Melvor Idle 2 Brings a New Idle RPG to Next Fest
Melvor Idle 2 is the next entry from Games by Malcs, whose first game built an audience around skill training and background progression. Its Next Fest demo is one of the event’s most-played idle titles in the October 24 snapshot.